Atlanta Hawks: Atl All Day Mock Draft 1.0 Post Lottery

8. Atlanta Hawks

Sekou Doumbouya: Forward – France

Height:6’9 Weight:210

Age:18.5 Wingspan: 6’11

With the eight pick of the 2019 Atl All Day Mock Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select Sekou Doumbouya from France. The Atlanta Hawks like Cam Reddish and his upside, but in this scenario he is long off the board. So the Hawks decide to take the top international prospect, after trading away the top international prospect last season, in the deal for star point guard Trae Young. Having wing players like Kevin Huerter, Taurean Prince and DeAndre’ Bembry, the Hawks can afford to bring whatever wing player they draft along slowly. They can make the rookie earn his spot through competition, rather than just awarding playing time based on draft status.

Sekou Doumbouya is an athletic defensive minded forward, that has the ability to play both small and power forward. He has long arms and the quickness to be able to block shots and grab steals from an opponent. Sekou also has the potential to guard four positions. He may even be able to guard centers, as he gets stronger and matures.

Sekou Doumbouya offers more than just defense. He’s great in translation, due to his speed and agility. Sekou also finishes well and is able to throw down big dunks with his length and hops. He has improved his shooting by becoming more consistent with his mechanics. He should develop into a solid rebounder on the offensive and defensive ends. Doumbouya played in the top pro league in France, but only plays 18 minutes per game, as is customary for many young players in Europe. He has immense upside and is one of the draft’s youngest prospects this year. In fact Sekou Doumbouya could still grow a few more inches.

Sekou Doumbouya showcased his potential in a recent jaw dropping, 34 point performance. ESPN Draft Expert Mike Schmitz tweeted details of Sekou’s performance recently, including highlights of the big game:

Sekou Doumbouya is somewhat raw. He will likely need one or two seasons of experience, to adjust to a new level of competition and a new culture before making a huge impact. He is a decent ball handler, but needs to tighten up his handles in order to beat NBA players off the dribble on a regular basis. Sekou needs to continue his improvement as a shooter, but does show some ability to shoot off the bounce. Fine tuning his passing abilities should be a priority. He also needs to get stronger. Doumbouya has a tendency to foul too often. Improving his footwork will help eliminate many of the reaching fouls he is called for and allow him to properly use his large wingspan.

Should the Atlanta Hawks draft Sekou Doumbouya at number eight, he will initially back up Taurean Prince at small forward. He will also see some playing time as a power forward in smaller lineups. Sekou would fit well in the Hawks fast pace offense, with his ability to run the floor and finish lobs from Trae Young. He could also be a defensive specialist, as he continues to develop a complete offensive game.

Nassir Little was a consideration with this pick. He’s a similar player to Sekou Doumbouya, but Sekou is younger and bigger. De’Andre Hunter was a consideration as well, for his defensive abilities and shooting. However with Hunter lacking the ability to create his own shot or create for others, in addition to lacking elite athletic traits, the upside and two-way potential of Doumbouya, was too good to pass up. Tankathon.com has the Atlanta Hawks drafting Sekou Doumbouya, but at pick number 10 in their current mock draft.

2018 Stats: Pts:7.3 REB:3.1 APG:0.7 STL:0.8 BLK:0.5 FG%:48.8 2P%:59.3 3P%:32.5 FT%:76.9

The Eurospects YouTube channel gives us this scouting video on Sekou Doumbouya:

9. Washington Wizards

Jaxson Hayes: Center – Texas

Height:7’0 Weight:219 Age:18.11
Wingspan:7’4 Standing Reach:9’3

Sandwiched between the Atlanta Hawks two first round picks, the division rival Washington Wizards pick at number nine. I have them selecting Texas center Jaxson Hayes. The Wizard resist the temptation of adding De’Andre Hunter, a wing that is NBA ready, in an attempt to fix the center position. The Wizards allowed more points at the rim than any other team this past season. They currently have only Dwight Howard, Thomas Bryant and Ian Mahinmi at the center spot. And Howard is a free agent. This leaves starting power forward Bobby Portis to play the five quite often.

Jaxson Hayes is a long, quick, athletic center with great leaping ability. He projects as a top ten shot blocker once he fully develops. His quickness and wingspan allow him to be able to stay in front of smaller players, when switching the pick and roll. Offensively Jaxson is very good in transition and almost always beats opposing centers up the floor. He dunks every opportunity he gets and is great at catching and throwing down lobs.

Jaxson Hayes needs major improvement on the boards, in both offensive and defensive rebounding. He also needs to improve as a passer, as he posses the worse assist rate of this year’s draft prospects. Hayes offers very little offense outside of dunking. He needs to develop an outside shot to be most effective in today’s NBA. However his solid free throw shooting, gives the hope that he can develop into a decent shooter. Jaxson is extremely foul prone. That’s something he needs to correct quickly, as rookies rarely get the benefit of the doubt from NBA officials. Hayes is a late bloomer, who was not on the NBA radar until a growth spurt before his senior year in high school. In fact Hayes was unable to earn a starting spot until he became a senior. He needs to add strength and increase his awareness to fulfill his full potential.

2018 Stats: Pts:10 REB:5 APG:0.3 STL:0.6 BLK:2.2 FG%:72.8 2P%:72.8 3P%:0.0 FT%:74.8

The following YouTube video by NBA Draft Junkies, shows the offensive strengths that Jaxson Hayes posses: